Improvement in car-couplings



w. F. GRAS'SLER.

Car-Coupling,

. 4 Y NH l Patented N'ov. 26,1872.

AUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. GEAssLEE, 0E MUNGY, PENNSYLVANIA.

-uvlPRovi-:MENT IN cARcoUPL|NGS.

S pecication forming part of Letters Patent No. 133,437, dated November 26, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. GRAssLER,

of Muncy, in the' county of Lycoming and;

State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Buffer or Draw Heads for Railroad Gars; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved draw-head, showing the parts in position to be coupled to another draw-head. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, showing the` vertical walls at the back end of. the head, which, in part, form the groove or recess in which a pivoted bar stands and is protected when it is driven back to perform a coupling. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, showing the recess or chamber in the under side of the upper wall i of the head, the dovetailed grooves in the under side of said wall, the pivoted bar and slide connected thereto, the ears b b on the under side of the lower wall, and the bolt a passing through said ears and keyed or riveted therein. Fig. 4 is a sectional bottom view, showing the form of the small plate that lits into the upper wall of the head and closes the chamber therein. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional elevation, showing the coupling bolt or pin resting vupon the slide in the upper wall of the head, the plates or bars, the manner of securing them in the head and to the upper and lower'walls of the same, the small plate in the upper wall of the head, and the coup'- ling-link as just entering a space between the plates or bars. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional elevation, showing the coupling-link inserted into one of the division-spaces in the head,

and, having driven back the pivoted bar and slide, the coupling bolt has passed down through said link,.and also down through the entire depth of the head. Fig. 7 is a sectional bottom view, showing the plates and division-blocks, the bolts o c which fasten them in the head, and the position of the couplinglink. Fig. Sis a vertical section on line a: x of Fig. 2.

Corresponding letters refer to correspond-` ing parts in the several figures.

This invention consists mainly in dividing the mouth of the draw-head horizontally bya series of plates capable of yielding independent of each other to the action of the coup-y ling-link. It further consists in providing a buffer or draw head having in its outer end or head a deep mouth or elongated aperture, the opposite walls of which are as near as practicable parallel to each other, the greatest depth or transverse diameter of which head is at a right angle to the platform or bumping-beam of the car to which it may be attached, said deep mouth or aperture being provided with a series of division plates or bars, or both combined, for dividing said aperture or mouth into two or more divisions or spaces into which the coupling-link may enter, said plates or bars holding the link in aproper directionto entersimilar spacesin anotherhead, or to enter any draw-head without any assistance of the hand, and, when a coupling has been effected between cars of equal height or varying several inches in the height of their wheels, platforms, orbumping-beams, causingthe draft to be in a direct or horizontal line. The division-plates tting loosely in the buffer-head are, in the rear end of the latter, separated by and confined between gum blocks, so that such plates may yield\to the strain of the coupling-link upon them in the up-and-down motions of the cars to prevent their fracture or bending, all as will be more fully explained hereinafter. l

` A in the drawing refers to a buffer or draw head, which may be made of cast or wrought iron, or of any suitable material, and in sections and be bolted together, or it may be cast or wrought in one piece, as preferred. Its outer end or head is to be provided with a deep mouth or elongated aperture, the opposite walls of which areas near as practicable parallel to each other. The greatest depth of said head is to be placed at a right angle to the platform, bumping-beam, or body of the car to which it may be attached, it being of sufficient size to receive within it a series of plates or bars of metal or other suitable material for the purpose of dividing it into spaces of suificient width to receive the coupling-link. A refers to vertical walls, in the back end of said head,which form a groove or recess sufficiently wide and long to receive and protect a pivoted bar, as shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 6. 1r/refers to a recess or chamberin the under side of thc upper wall of said s' 133,431 i v head, together with dovetailed grooves on tyvo sides of said chamber, extending to the front end of said wall, as shown in Flg. 3. B refers to the pivoted bar, of iron or of. any suitable material, passing up through a mortise cast or cut in the lower wall of the head, and resting on bolt a, which passes through ears b b cast or wrought onto the .under side of said wall, and keyed or riveted in said ears, as shown in Fig. 3. The bar extends slightly below the bolt a., and` is` bent forward at a right angle to the vertical portion of said bar. When the coupling-bolt is withdrawn above the slide C in the upper wall, or the cars are uncoupled, there being more Weight of lnetal in the horizontal arm below said bolt a. than above it, the weight of said arm or the force of gravitation will throw the vertical portion of said bar forward, shoving said slide under and partially shutting off the coupling-bolt hole, and thus forming a support for said bolt. The vertical portion of said bar stands in the groove or recess formed by the plates and vertical walls, and is protected by the latter when it has been driven back by the coupling-link,

in order to eifect a coupling, as shown in ligure.

D refers to the small plate, of steel or other suitable material, having a coupling-bolt hole, and in the center of its rear end a portion of the metal or material of which it is composed is cut out, and the open space so made, in connection with the groove or recess formed by the vertical walls in the bach end of the head, form the groove or recess in which the Ypivoted bar moves and is protected. The under side ofthe outer end of this small plate is ground or liled oli' tovt the under side of the upper wall of the head. The edges of the under side of said plate are to be planed or iiled oft' to a bevel so as to tit the dovetailed grooves in the under side of said wall. The small plate, when shoved or driven into said dovetailed grooves, closes up the chamber or recess in said wall, and serves as a support to the slide therein, and protects and confines it in saidchamber,

\ as shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6. E E E refer to e a series of plates or bars, or both combined, made of metal or of any suitable material, such as hard vulcanized rubber, they being placed within the head, and are in the rear end of such head separated by and confined between elastic division-blocks E. The numberof the plates or bars, or of both combined, as thus arranged, may be from two upward to aperture in the head of the bui'er or draw head, `bein g of sufficient depth toenable it to reeive the coupling-link, when held in correding heads, attached to cars of, any and lference of elevation or height iu the plats, u nipping-beams, or wheels of said cars.

i The upperalldlqwer sides of the outer ends of thevplates or barsare to be reduced in thickess, `as shown I in the drawing, and slightly `back from the outer end of the mouth or pe ure in `said head, so that when the of heyvcoupling-link, `havin g both ends any number required to fill the deep mouth or ilattened or wedge-shaped', comes in contact with a plate orbar it `shall be guided into a space between two such plates or bars, or between a plate and the upper or lower wall, in an opposite draw-head g the vdistance 'from the pivoted bar, when driven back into the groove or recess formed by the vertical walls and the frontend of the plates or bars, being sufficient to enable them to hold the coupling-link in a horizontal direction when it has been inserted into the head; and coming in contact with the pivoted bar, and driving it back between thc vertical walls, it has moved 4back the slide and caused the coupling bolt or pin to d'rop through the plates'or bars and coupling-link, as is shown in Fig. 6. Small-sized bolts or pins c c are countersunk in and pass down through Ythe back end of the upper wall of said head into and through the rear end of the plates and division-blocks which separate them from each other, and, passing on down through the Yback end of the lower wall of said head, are there secured by keys, of steel or other suitable material, as is shown in Fig. 3, which rmly secure said plates and division-blocks within the head. The coupling-bolt holeof the walls, plates, and bars may be so perfectly on aline with each other as toV guard against the bending or springing ofthe coupling-bolt. To provide for the up-and-down oscillation of short railroad carsiwhcn in motion, and in order to protect the plates against any up-and-down strain on them should not the space between them be sufficient for that purpose, the plates are separated by blocks of sprin g gum or India rubber, or any other elastic substance suitable for that purpose, and having in their center, in each division, a cast-iron washer or division-block, with flanges extending along the inside edges of the gum blocks, in order to protect them and cause the coupling-link to move freely; and, if found necessary, the boltholes in the plates or bars may be slightly elongated. When the plates or bars, or plates and bars, have been constructed as above de scribed, and the pivoted bar, slide, and coupling bolt or pin are also properly placed in posi sition in the head, the latter will rest upon the i slide, as shown in Fig. ,5. If the coupling-link is inserted into any one of the spaces in said head, and driven back with force suliicient to strike the pivoted bar back into the groove or recess between the vertical walls in the back end of the head, it will move back the slide connected with said bar, and upon which the coupling bolt or pin rests, and cause it to drop, as a consequence of its own gravity; and if the drawhead is brought in contact with another draw head the coupling bolt or pin of which is with# drawn and resting upon the slide, as shown in Fig. 5,.the heads and cars to which they may be attachedwill be coupled together, and the draft will be in a direct or horizontal line; and this result will be accomplished without any reference to the height of the buffer or drawheads, or to the difference in the elevation of the platforms, bumpin g-beams, or wheels of the cars; because,'if the coupling-link is secured in one head, at or near its center, it can enter any one ofthe spaces in the other, either above or below the center, and when such a coupling shall have been formed the draft will be in a direct line, as much so as if the cars were of equal height. F refers to the coupling-link with the ends attened or Wedge-shaped, as shown in the drawing; or it may be round at the ends, as is the common form in ordinary use, or of any other form vthat will accomplish the purpose designed. G refers to the coupling bolt or pin, which may be of any suitable form, such as is shown in the drawing, or any other that will answer the purpose for which it is designed.

The devices for sustaining the coupling-pin in a-n elevated position, consisting of the gravitating-bar and sliding plate, have been made 'the subject of a claim of anotherpatent granted to me; and I therefore disclaim them in this patent.

Having described my invention, whatI claim,

and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A buffer or draw-head divided horizontally by a series of independent yielding plates, substantially as and for the purposeA specified.

2. The combination of the deepmouthed draw-head A, horizontal division-plates E, and

I Witnesses:

WM. BRINDLE, ADoLPHUs W. PETRIKIN. 

